


Friends Will Be Friends

by yasmamamercury (Em_1)



Series: Coping with Quarantine [9]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Depression, Drabble, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23289862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_1/pseuds/yasmamamercury
Summary: The prompt for this drabble was: "Listen, I can't explain it, you'll just have to trust me."
Series: Coping with Quarantine [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669213
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Friends Will Be Friends

Brian's stomach twisted in knots as he picked the phone up off the cradle and dialed Freddie's number. Today would mark day three of not leaving his flat. He could justify it on the weekend, but not on a Monday when they were supposed to meet in the studio. He was weak, he decided. There was nothing physically stopping him from going to the studio that afternoon - he had all his fingers and his voice sounded fine, the same. But somewhere inside his brain there was agony, and he couldn't shut it off.

Brian sunk to the floor as Freddie answered,

"Hi, Fred," He took a deep breath, trying not to let the guilt of abandoning his bandmates wash over him. "I was just ringing to tell you I won't be able to make it to the studio later. Something came up," Did that sound believable? He didn’t know.

"Are you sick? Poor darling," Freddie’s voice was filled with sympathy. Sympathy Brian didn’t deserve.

"Yeah, it just came on suddenly, y’know. Can't explain it."

"Well get some rest today, darling, I'll let the others know. Do you need anything? We could bring you some food,"

"No, that's okay," Brian said quickly. The _last_ thing he wanted was for the others to see him like this. 

Brian drifted through the flat over the course of the day. The first thing he did was crawl right back into bed in his darkened room, trying to ignore the tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn't even know _why_ they were there in the first place. Eventually, he fell asleep but it didn’t help the exhaustion that had settled deep in his bones. After tossing and turning and finally accepting that he wouldn’t be able to escape reality through sleep again, he figured might as well get up and try to do something - anything. Brian tried to make tea, but the process was painfully slow. Sometimes his gaze would get unfocused and his vision became blurry. He would just let it happen, he didn’t care much for the world in front of him at the moment, anyway. Brian made the mistake of sitting down on the sofa while waiting for the kettle to boil. By the time he heard it click off he felt absolutely drained, completely unable to lift his body from where he had laid down. So Brian just reached back to pull his mother’s afghan from behind him and let the weight of the wool settle him deeper into the cushions. 

He woke up some time later to the sound of knocking at the door and the voice of each of his bandmates calling his name. Brian screwed his eyes shut, praying that they would go away. He didn’t want them to see him like this - they would call him lazy, and rightfully so. His heart sank when he heard the distinct sound of a key twisting in the lock and immediately regretted ever giving them free access to his flat in the first place. 

“Brian?” Freddie called as he stepped inside. “We brought food, and to offer our company.” 

Brian barely held back a groan as he just threw an arm up in the air for the boys to see from behind the sofa. Soon they gathered in front of him, anxious eyes staring down at him.

“Sorry for today,” He mumbled miserably. 

“It’s okay, Bri, you have to take care of yourself,” John said with an encouraging smile. 

“And we’re here to help with that,” Freddie held up a container, “I brought some soup for us for dinner.” Without waiting for an answer he made his way to Brian’s kitchen.

“So, can we hang out with you?” Roger asked. 

None of his fears had come true; no one accused him of faking it or made him feel guilty for staying home. They just gave him their unwavering support. Brian blinked back the tears their kindness had triggered. “Sure,”

He sat up slowly while running his hands through his hair and rubbing at his scalp. He tried to remember the last time he had showered but the memory was lost. 

John sat beside Brian, a hair tie stretched over his fingers, "Let's get your hair up, it'll bother you less."

Brian shook his head, staring down at a particularly interesting spot on his rug. "Hurts when it's up,"

Roger perched himself on the armrest beside Brian, "I can braid it for you if you want."

That was enough to pull Brian's attention away from his choice of flooring decor. Brian looked up at him questioningly and Roger shrugged,

"What? I have a sister and long hair. It’s practical, trust me." 

Brian wasn’t sure of much in his life, but if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he trusted Roger. “Alright,”

Roger grinned, "Great! You won't even have to move from the sofa. Just turn around and face John then move back a bit so I can reach you," 

When Brian moved, Roger brought his feet up to the cushions and moved his knees apart for Brian to sit between. Brian was tense, he was worried Roger would comment on how greasy his curls were. But instead, Roger just got to work, taking his time to gently work his fingers through what he could of the tangles. Soon, Brian relaxed and let his eyes flutter shut as he leaned against Roger’s leg. He knew that tomorrow he would probably have to force himself out of bed again and drag his feet through the day - the world feeling like a dull and listless place. But at least for now, things were a little brighter. 

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to let me know what you think! You can find me on tumblr @yasmamamercury


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